Spell devices
Spell devices are objects upon which spells have been cast, in order to imbue them with specific magical properties. (The casting of such spells is called "enchantment," a type of spell first created in 399 by Judy.) These spell devices may then be used by anyone, Sorreter and non-Sorreter alike. However, as with any spell, the mana used in enchantment dissipates with use, and must periodically be recharged by Sorreters. (Recharging is required more frequently for spell devices that use large amounts of mana, such as flying vehicles.) Generally speaking, any market that sells a specific kind of spell device will also have at least one Sorreter on hand to perform recharges (for a fee), though recharges on flying vehicles are more commonly performed at garages than markets. Animated object This is the first type of spell device ever created, by Judy in 399. The spell brings inanimate objects to "life" for a brief period. The first animation spell was cast on clay dolls, which would dance around for a few centhours before the spell wore off. Over the years other objects have been animated in other ways, though they of course do not truly become "alive," nor do they have minds of their own. The original animation spell served as a basis for more complex spells which were later developed, such as flying. Bubbles A common medium (developed LY 400 by Koichi) for spell devices of various types, including but not limited to: *flash bubble: An illumination device (developed in LY 405) which produces a similar effect to the illumination spells (used without devices) that had first come into use by Sorreters in 272. *recording bubble: A device used to record and play back audio and/or video (developed in LY 402 by Koichi). *scrying bubble: A device used to display a visual representation of some remote location (developed in LY 400 by Koichi). *t-mail: A communications device (developed LY 750 by Tannic) Enchanted lock and key Sometimes confused with a "lock spell" (see list of spells), the enchanted lock was first developed in LY 415, by a master-adept named Harold. These spell devices are enchanted by casting a spell upon a mechanical lock which has been specially designed to work with this type of enchantment. If one tries to open the lock either with an unenchanted key or lock-picking tools, the spell which has been cast upon the lock causes the internal mechanism of the lock to continuously rearrange itself, making it virtually impossible to unlock. At the time that such a lock is enchanted, a matching enchantment is cast upon the key which has been designed to fit the lock; the enchantment of the lock recognizes the enchantment of the key, and so the mechanism remains in its original configuration, thus allowing the key to unlock it. It should be noted that it is not entirely unheard of for a master lock picker or locksmith to beat an enchanted lock without the use of magic, though the odds of success are estimated to be less than one percent. However, sometime after the creation of anti-spells by Rasche in 432, other Sorreters developed lock-pick spells to counter the effects of enchanted locks. Such spells, depending upon the complexity of the lock's enchantment and the skill of the caster trying to pick it, can raise the odds of breaking the lock to between 10 and 90%. Enchanted mirror A medium for scrying (see list of spells), first used around 500. It uses the same type of enchantment as scrying bubbles. After the Coming of the Order, InterVil began instituting the use of such mirrors in all of the Land's police departments, for observers in one room to watch the interrogation of suspects in another room, as well as for witnesses to pick suspects out of a line-up without being seen by the suspects. Energy converter A device created sometime during the Coming of the Order, which can be attached to a mechanical device which produces physical power, and converts that power into neutral mana (similar to that used in a mana battery). That mana can then be distributed into an existing spell, to keep it going. The specific mana utilized by the spell mixes with the neutral mana from the energy converter, and causes it to convert to the specific type. However, this only works if the spell being automatically recharged by the energy converter has not already completely run out of specific mana; a converter cannot reactivate a spell which has completely faded. Flying Another common spell device is vehicles which have been imbued with the power of flight. This type of enchantment was first by Red in 542. Such devices may include various normally land-based vehicles, as well as objects which normally are not considered vehicles at all, including but not limited to: *carpets *carriages *leopcoats (the only living spell device, actually an animal which has been enchanted) *recliners *wagons It's important to note that there are actually two similar types of enchantment (one spell for levitation and one for locomotion) which work in conjunction to achieve flight. Such combination spells must be precisely calculated by teams of Sorreters and engineers or mechanics, to ensure that the structural integrity of the vehicle isn't compromised by being forced to move in a way it wasn't originally designed for. Because of the way the two spells interact to preserve integrity while the flying enchantment is active, it would be impossible to activate just one of the two spells for more than a few seconds at a time, without upsetting the delicate balance. For this reason, if one wishes to travel over land in a carriage or wagon which has been enchanted to fly, the flying spell must be fully deactivated when the vehicle lands, and teams of striders or oxen must then be hitched to vehicle in the normal fashion, so that they might draw it. (Note that there is a new type of spell device, the internal enchantment engine- see lower this page- which can propel a vehicle over land without being drawn by draft animals, but the spell used to enchant these engines cannot be used in conjunction with traditional flying spells.) Glamour Glamours were initially a standard spell, created in LY 430 by Rasche. However, sometime around 900, an unknown Sorreter developed a spell to enchant masks, which could make the wearer's face virtually unrecognizable, unless someone very familiar with their face closely scrutinized it. (That is to say, it altered their appearance; anyone who became familiar with the face that was displayed while the glamour was being worn would come to recognize that false face just as one would come to recognize a real face.) These glamour masks remain very rare and very expensive. Internal enchantment engine A newer type of spell device (developed in LY 911 by Cirna Mastera) to power vehicles which travel on land, such as wagons and carriages, so that striders are not necessary to pull the vehicles. Also, the magic within such engines doesn't need to be recharged. Mana battery Developed in 842 by Coman, this utilizes a spell which can imbue any object with "neutral mana." Most spells require specific mixtures of different types of chakra to be put to different purposes by the caster. However, neutral mana has no practical application of its own, but when stored in a mana battery, can later be absorbed by a caster, almost instantly broken down into its component chakras, and quickly remixed by the caster into specific manas for whatever purpose he or she desires. This allows the caster to perform complex spells which may require more chakra than their bodies can naturally produce in a short amount of time, as well as allowing them to perform simpler spells for a longer duration or with quicker repetition by artificially enhancing their magical stamina. (It should be noted that unlike most spell devices, which can be used by anyone, mana batteries can only be used by magic-users.) Scrying glasses First enchanted in 543 by Mor, to be used as a tool for micro-scrying (see list of spells). However, these glasses can also be used as a medium for ordinary scrying, and some have used them to, in essence, look through solid objects such as walls. This could be done using any scrying medium, and in fact sometimes has been, for example by police to view interrogation subjects in another room, via an enchanted mirror. However, there is no record of it having ever occurred to anyone to scry such a nearby location, prior to the creation of scrying glasses. Timepiece A less common type of spell device, which magically keep track of time. There are, of course, strictly mechanical clocks, but they tend to be too large to carry around. So, magical timepieces are made smaller, and generally worn on the wrist. However, as of yet, not a lot of people own them. Wind generator Developed in LY 901 by Cirna Mastera, this device is used to give sailors enhanced control of ships. Category:Items